Should I drop this job and just relax?

[aspiring20]

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I graduated May of 2012, and from September of 2012 to currently, I've been working a good teaching job (30 hrs/wk) right out of my own living room. The pay isn't terrible (paid in cash), but I am getting a bit tired at this point. Besides, it is very likely that the job will stop next January-ish regardless.

I am applying June of 2014 (in about 8 months), and I really want to relax a bit the few months leading up to my application. I'll still be doing community service and my other, 10 hr/wk job selling commission works, so it wouldn't appear to med schools that I was sitting on my ass all day playing GTA 5.

My question is: from next january onwards, can I just maintain an easier schedule? I think my gap year has been very productive and fruitful, so i want to take some time off to myself. My 3.6/3.3 c/sGPA and 35 MCAT are all set, and it isn't realistic for them to change at this point. If my 3.3 sGPA makes MD difficult, then I'll just add in DO schools.

thanks!

 

[Stormpelt]

If you really want to, then drop the job. It's really up to you, and working at a job that you will be miserable at won't improve your chances for admission at medical school. Focus more on the clinical/volunteer stuff and you should be okay. Although, you should apply broadly when you do apply. However, only add DO schools if you would be okay with going there (Say, if you got rejected from all MD schools, but got a DO acceptance, would you take it? If yes, then apply DO as well. If no, then don't apply DO and just apply MD broadly). But seriously, apply to a lot of low-tier MD schools, don't apply to all top 30.

 

[aspiring20]

If you really want to, then drop the job. It's really up to you, and working at a job that you will be miserable at won't improve your chances for admission at medical school. Focus more on the clinical/volunteer stuff and you should be okay. Although, you should apply broadly when you do apply. However, only add DO schools if you would be okay with going there (Say, if you got rejected from all MD schools, but got a DO acceptance, would you take it? If yes, then apply DO as well. If no, then don't apply DO and just apply MD broadly). But seriously, apply to a lot of low-tier MD schools, don't apply to all top 30.

thanks bro

i dont hate my job; in fact, i do enjoy it and i am making an impact on my students. however, i work almost exclusively from thursday - sunday (students are usually only free to take my classes during the weekend), and all my lessons take place in the living room of our house. so for the past year or so, there were constantly students in and out of our house from thursday to sunday, leaving my family little privacy/chance to relax.

and speaking of clinical stuff, i already have 250+ hrs of hospital volunteering and 50+ hrs of shadowing spread across 3 years. i'll also have 300 hrs of community service by the time i apply, so those areas are covered as well.

if i do quit this job, i'll be mostly focused on relaxing.

 

[rain4venus]

What kind of stuff are you teaching? Are you self-employed?
Sorry, I don't really have advice, I'm just intrigued by this concept.
If it were me, I'd stick it out to January. Applying to med school is expensive after all. I couldn't totally tell from the OP if your plan was to quit in January or immediately. I don't think that med schools are going to really think anything of it if you aren't working full-time in the months leading up to applying.

 

[aspiring20]

What kind of stuff are you teaching? Are you self-employed?
Sorry, I don't really have advice, I'm just intrigued by this concept.
If it were me, I'd stick it out to January. Applying to med school is expensive after all. I couldn't totally tell from the OP if your plan was to quit in January or immediately. I don't think that med schools are going to really think anything of it if you aren't working full-time in the months leading up to applying.

yeah, i'll probably stick it out for as long as the job lasts. i am actually teaching with someone else, and he (a mentor and someone teaching for a long time) has a huge clientele/student base. i was a former student of his, and he asked me to teach with him. since he vouched for me, the students' parents gladly agreed to have me teach their kids along with him.

the fact that i agreed to offer my home as the classroom made it convenient for everyone.

unfortunately, he will be leaving the country soon due to some difficult/personal circumstances. i dont think i'll continue teaching by myself after he leaves.

EDIT: and by the way, I teach art, putting my degree to good use!

i thought about getting a teacher's license (which my LAC offers) while i was a student, but ultimately decided against it.

 

[papi89]

If you can afford it, I'd probably relax.

 

[nemo123]

One thing that's risky about relaxing is that a lot of secondaries will ask you what you've done since graduating from college. It won't look that good to say that you relaxed after doing a teaching job for over a year unless you have an alternative to this. If you have an alternative, I'd recommend doing that until February of next year when interviews are over and relax for the couple months before med school.

 

[rain4venus]

One thing that's risky about relaxing is that a lot of secondaries will ask you what you've done since graduating from college. It won't look that good to say that you relaxed after doing a teaching job for over a year unless you have an alternative to this. If you have an alternative, I'd recommend doing that until February of next year when interviews are over and relax for the couple months before med school.

well he did say this in the OP:

I'll still be doing community service and my other, 10 hr/wk job selling commission works, so it wouldn't appear to med schools that I was sitting on my ass all day playing GTA 5.

 

[JFS]

Have you considered the middle ground? As in, cut your hours to 10-15 at the teaching job. Like mentioned above, this would give you more to talk about in your secondaries, and you could stop it by February of interview season.

 

[aspiring20]

thanks guys.

i understand that med schools want us to do something during applications, but when i send in my application June of 2014, i would have had two years of productive work. i graduated may of 2012, and from graduation to next summer, i'll be productively engaged.

for someone in my case, is it still necessary to keep up the tempo DURING my application season?

 

[nemo123]

well he did say this in the OP:

Lol didn't read carefully enough.

 

[papi89]

well he did say this in the OP:

Yeah I guess what I meant is, if you can relax but still do enough volunteering / extra stuff that it appears you were busy on your resume, then you're fine... but a long gap filled with the bars and PS4 is probably bad